countryman,while to ask an East Anglian thane would he to make things harder yetfor Goldberga.
"I am no thane, earl," I said plainly. "This is an honour that is overhigh for me."
"It seems that you own a town, for I asked Eglaf just now," he answered;"and that is enough surely to give you thane's rank in a matter likethis. But that is neither here nor there; it is as Dane to Dane that Iask you. If I could find another of us I would ask him also, that youmight not have to stand alone. I am asking you to break the law thatbids the keeping of the peace at the time of the meeting of the Witan."
"That is no matter," I said. "If I have to fly, it will be with you asvictor; and if it is but a matter of a fine, I have had that from theking today which will surely pay it."
And I told him of the gift for silence, whereat he laughed heartily, andthen said that the secret was more worth than he thought. This lookedvery bad, and like proof that the king was at the bottom of the wholebusiness.
Now I had been thinking, and it seemed better that there should be twowitnesses of the fight on our side, and I thought that Havelok was theman who would make the second. So I told Ragnar that I could findanother Dane who was at least as worthy as I, and he was well pleased.Then he told me where the meeting was to be, and where we should meethim just before daylight; and so he went back to the hall, where thelights were yet burning redly, and the songs were wilder than ever.
And I found Havelok, and told him of the fight that was to be, and askedhim to come with us. His arms were at the widow's, and he could get themwithout any noticing him.
There is no need to say that he was ready as I to help Ragnar, and so wespoke of time and place, and parted for the night.
Very early came Havelok to the house, for I lodged at the widow's when Iwas not on night duty; and we armed ourselves, and then came Ragnar. Hegreeted me first, and then looked at Havelok in amaze, as it seemed, andthen bowed a little, and asked me to make my friend known to him.
"If you are the friend of whom Radbard has told me, I think that I amfortunate in having come to him."
"I am his brother, lord earl," answered Havelok, "and I am at your service."
Ragnar looked from one of us to the other, and then smiled.
"A brother Dane and a brother in arms, truly," he said. "Well, that isall that I need ask, except your name, as I am to be another brother ofthe same sort."
Then Havelok looked at me, and I nodded. I knew what he meant; but itwas not right that the earl should not know who he was.
"Men call me Curan here, lord earl, and that I must be to you hereafter.But I am Havelok of Grimsby, son of Grim."
In a moment I saw that the earl knew more of that name than I had deemedpossible; and then I minded Mord, the wry-necked, who was thechamberlain now. But Ragnar said nothing beyond that he would rememberthe request, and that he was well seconded. And then we went out intothe grey morning, and without recrossing the bridge, away to the levelmeadows on the south of the river, far from any roadway.
"There is not an island in the stream," said Ragnar, "or I should havewanted the old northern holmgang battle. I doubt if we could even getthese Welshmen to peg out the lists."
"That we must see to," I said. "We will have all things fair in some way."
Half a mile from the town we came to what they call a carr--a woodyrise in the level marsh--and on the skirts of this two men waited us.They were the seconds of Griffin, Welsh or half Welsh both of them bytheir looks, and both were well armed. Their greeting was courteousenough, and they led us by a little track into the heart of thethickets, and there was a wide and level clearing, most fit for a fight,in which waited Griffin himself.
Now I had never taken any part in a fight before, and I did not rightlyknow what I had to do to begin with. However, one of the other sideseemed to be well up in the matter, and at once he came to me andHavelok and took us aside.
"Here is a little trouble," he said: "our men have said nothing of whatweapons they will use."
"I take it," said Havelok at once, "that they meant to use those whichwere most handy to them, therefore."
The Welshman stared, and answered rather stiffly, "This is not a matterof chance medley, young sir, but an ordered affair. But doubtless thisis the first time you have been in this case, and do not know the rules.Let me tell you, therefore, that your earl, being the challenged man,has choice of weapons.
"Why, then," answered Havelok, "it seems to me that if we say as I havealready said, it is fair on our part. For it is certain that the earlwill want to use the axe, and your man is about half his weight, so thatwould be uneven."
"As the challenged man, the earl is entitled to any advantage in weapons."
"He needs none. Let us fight fairly or not at all. The earl takes theaxe.--What say you, Radbard? Griffin takes what he likes."
"You keep to the axe after all, and yet say that it gives an advantage."
"Axe against axe it does, but if your man chooses to take a twenty-footspear and keep out of its way, we do not object. We give him his ownchoice."
Then the other second said frankly, "This is generous, Cadwal. No moreneed be said. But this young thane has not yet asked his earl whether itwill suit him."
"Faith, no," said Havelok, laughing; "I was thinking what I should likemyself, and nothing at all of the earl."
So I went across to Ragnar, who was waiting patiently at one end of theclearing, while Griffin was pacing with uneven steps backward andforward at the other, and I told him what the question was.
"I thought it would be a matter of swords," he said, "but I am Daneenough to like the axe best. Settle it as you will. Of course he knowsnaught of axe play, so that you are right in not pressing it on him. Heis a light man, and active, and maybe will be glad not even to try swordto sword; for look at the sort of bodkin he is wearing."
The earl and we had the northern long sword, of course; but when Ilooked I saw that the Welsh had short, straight, and heavy weapons ofabout half the length of ours, and so even sword to sword seemed hard onthe lighter man; wherein I was wrong, as I had yet to learn.
I went back, therefore, and told the others.
"The earl takes the axe, and the thane has his choice, as we have said."
"We have to thank you," said the other second, while Cadwal only laugheda short laugh, and bade us choose the ground with them.
There was no difficulty about that, for the light was clear and bright,and though the sun was up, the trees bid any bright rays that might bein the eyes of the fighters. However, we set them across the light, sothat all there was might be even; and then we agreed that if one wasforced back to the edge of the clearing he was to be held beaten, as ifwe had been on an island. It was nearly as good, for the shore of treesand brushwood was very plain and sharp.
Now Ragnar unslung his round shield from his shoulders, and took his axefrom me, for I had carried it for him, and his face was quiet andsteady, as the face of one should be who has a deed to do that must beseen through to the end. But Griffin and his men talked quickly in theirown tongue, and I had to tell them that we understood it well enough.Then they looked at each other, and were silent suddenly. I wonderedwhat they, were about to say, for it seemed that my warning came just intime for them.
Griffin took a shield from the thane they called Cadwal, and it wassquare--a shape that I had not seen before in use, though Witlaf hadone like it on the wall at Stallingborough. He said that it had been wonfrom a chief by his forefathers when the English first came into theland, and that it was the old Roman shape. It seemed unhandy to me, butI had no time to think of it for a moment, for now Cadwal had a lastquestion.
"Is this fight to be to the death?"
"No," I answered; "else were the rule we made about the boundary of no use."
Then Griffin cried in a sort of choked voice, "It shall be to the death."
But I said nothing, and the other second, with Cadwal, shook his head.
Ragnar made no sign, but Cadwal said to Havelok, "Yo
u were foremost inthe matter just now. What say you?"
"Rules are rules, and what my comrade says is right. If the first blowslays, we cannot help it, but there shall be no second wound. The manwho is first struck is defeated."
"I will not have it so," said Griffin.
"Well, then, thane, after you have wounded the earl you will have toreckon with me, if you must slay someone."
Griffin looked at the towering form of my brother and made no answer,and the other second told him that it was right. There was naught but anangry word or two to be atoned for. So there was an end, and Ragnar wenton guard. Griffin made ready also, and at once it was plain that herewas no uneven match after all.
Both of them wore ring mail of the best. We had set the two six
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